Monday Wellness Presentation: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1VQsAD1gyAjAnpoLChrEFwpLQpaIMFZn-IrRGGS7peG0/edit#slide=id.p
I just couldn’t sit still in a chair and focus. Naturally, my second grade teacher, Mrs. Becky, asked me if I had a learning disorder. From a young age, I felt very different from the other kids.
In school, I was usually the class clown. A performer as I would like to call it. I was the kid who could even make adults cry with laughter. I was that good. I even put up shows for my family to watch, and it replaced their favorite Friday night entertainment. Little did I know that I was the costume designer, director, stage designer, and actress for my own shows.
Later on, I explored a different kind of art: drawing and painting. My ever-evolving art career began at an after school where art was offered every Friday. Once a week wasn’t enough for me. Soon, my parents started looking for art studios to see how far my talent and interest would go.
Studio 1: a small box room. There was the contagious dust of charcoal smeared everywhere, from the tables, to the shelves, and all over the students. I still remember when my art teacher, the ruthless Mr. Fang, yelled at me for blowing charcoal at the other students.
Mr. Fang was rigid, militaristic. I sketched until my paper ripped. The "ripped paper moments" was when Fang allowed me to move on to a different shape.
The strict practice from Studio 1 taught me the value of art. It molded me into a technical artist.
Studio 2: a wonderland. I began crafting 3D works with Mr. Akamichi. As I cut and hot glued my pieces together, he told me to be free and organic. I went with it. Eventually, I realized I was creating art about me.
Art has gifted me a way to express myself. It has given me the maturity and control to do simple things like sit still in a chair and focus.
Throughout my Monday Wellness, I wanted to share with my peers an influential and beautiful part of my life that has changed me for the better. I knew that not everyone is able to have years of art practice, but I did realized that something that anyone can do is adult coloring.
I was excited to share my passion to the class so I started working on my presentation very early. I made sure to make everything organized, easy to understand, and teach students about this calming activity, while teaching them about what it does to your brain. The most interesting thing that I learned while collecting all of my information is how it calms your brain from Beta waves to Alpha waves. I also found it interesting how serious and popular adult coloring has become. I had no idea there was such thing as coloring parties or gatherings!
Throughout the course, I tried to relate the topic as much as possible to class lectures—5 pillars of health (sleep, stress, social), mindfulness, anatomy and physiology of the brain due to adult coloring, and more. This topic is essential to our mental health and wellness. In the end, a healthy mind leads to a healthy body. Since adult coloring has the ability to calm your brainwaves to the state of Alpha, you can distress and this is what gives you a better night’s sleep. Also, the act of focusing and coloring can help clear your mind from negative thoughts for a more positive mentality. Since adult coloring is an anti-technology activity, it naturally makes you more engaged with other people, thus forcing you to be more social
On a scale of 1 to 10, I would rate myself a 9 because I felt passionate about my topic and thought I delivered everything in an academic and fun way. However, I did feel nervous and unnatural (due to my fear of public speaking), thus the -1 on grading myself on a scale of 1-10. Despite it all, I pulled through and I couldn’t be more happier with my job.
In all, I hope my presentation inspired people to go out and try out some art. The fact that I saw how art has changed me mentally, I know that others can be changed by this phenomenon as well.
